Pennsylvania House Set For Final Vote On Transportation Funding Bill

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) – The stage is now set for a final vote on major new funding for roads, bridges and mass transit after the state Senate approved a bill yesterday. The House is expected vote today on the bill that would also allow for a 70 mile-an-hour speed limit in Pennsylvania.

The Senate passed the transportation plan over the strenuous objections of Democrats like Philadelphia’s Larry Farnese who tried unsuccessfully to strip out language that weakens prevailing wage regulations for workers on government-funded projects.

“This legislation does nothing, Mr. President, nothing but place folks like myself who supported transportation funding the first time around, it places us in a trap,” Farnese said.

But Republican Jake Corman says nobody gets everything they want.

“Are there things in this bill that I don’t particularly like that other caucuses may have had an interest in? Absolutely. Absolutely. But we gotta govern,” he said.

The bill, when fully implemented, will pump more than $2-billion a year into transportation. It also contains language that will allow PennDOT to raise the speed limit to 70 miles an hour on some highways.